On Friday afternoon, Huston Street stood in front of his locker at Petco Park, addressing the elephant in the room.

“I pay attention,” Street, who is active on Twitter, said of the rumors swirling around him. “I have to pay attention. It’s your life.”

Mere hours later, rumor became reality. On Friday night, the Padres traded Street -- their closer of more than two years -- and Double-A reliever Trevor Gott to the Angels in exchange for prospects Taylor Lindsey, R.J. Alvarez, Jose Rondon and Elliot Morris.

The six-player deal sends Street to an up-the-road contender and includes a sizable haul for the Padres, who are 12 games out of first in the National League West.

“I loved this place. I’d come back,” Street said late Friday, after the deal had been made official. “I signed back here during the 2012 season because I believed they could win, and I still believe this team has a lot of pieces that can win.

“Players always want right now, we want what’s best for us right now. Organizations have got to be thinking a little more long-term. When I signed here, I think that was part of that equation. I think today is also part of that approach, that they’re trying to put themselves in position.”

Related:

Street, 30 and in the midst of his finest season, had been the focus of trade talks for weeks. In the final year of a two-year contract, he has a team-friendly club option for 2015. Thus far in 2014, he has a 1.09 ERA in 33 innings. He has 24 saves in 25 opportunities. He has two all-star berths, though he did not appear in either game.

The Padres acquired Street in December 2011, sending left-hander Nick Schmidt to the Rockies. Since then, Street has posted a 2.03 ERA and 80 saves in 128 2/3 innings.

Since 2011, he has converted 109 of his last 117 save opportunities for a 93.2 percent success rate, the best among all major league relievers.

“Obviously a bittersweet day as Huston’s been one of the best closers in the league,” Padres Assistant General Manager A.J. Hinch said. “His character, his integrity and how he shows up for work every day, he’s well-respected and well-appreciated. This time of year changes happen, and this is a big one for this franchise.”

Drafted by the Athletics in 2004, Street made his big-league debut in 2005. For his career, the 6-foot right-hander has recorded a 2.87 ERA and 258 saves.

Street, who is making $7 million this season, has a club option for $7 million.

Of going to Anaheim, Street said: “It’s one of the places that I wanted to go, if I was gonna get traded. … It’s a team that obviously has a chance to win.”

Of the teammates and coaches he leaves behind -- such as manager Bud Black, pitching coach Darren Balsley and bullpen coach Willie Blair -- Street said: “They were a huge reason for my individual success, and I can’t be more thankful to them. … I’ve just had some really great relationships around here.”

Gott, 21, was the Padres’ sixth-round selection in 2013. The right-hander posted a 3.16 ERA and 16 saves for high Single-A Lake Elsinore this season before a mid-season promotion to San Antonio, where he had a 4.63 ERA.

With Street’s departure, Padres setup man Joaquin Benoit will assume ninth-inning duties. For now, the Padres will approach the eighth inning by committee, with Dale Thayer, Nick Vincent, Kevin Quackenbush and Alex Torres all figuring into the mix.

“It’s always sad to see a teammate go … but hopefully he’s gonna help (the Angels) win a World Series,” Benoit said of Street. “It’s just a game. Part of it is just trying to fill his shoes. … Hopefully I can do what he was doing.”

Benoit, whom the Padres signed to a two-year, $15.5 million deal last offseason, has also been the subject of trade rumors.

“Anytime you have this first trade, everybody thinks that there might be multiple ones to come,” Hinch said. “We certainly don’t know yet. We’ve got plenty of time before the (July 31 trade) deadline. … We’ll address any other situation that we need as the time comes.”

Meanwhile, Friday’s deal brought the Padres a group of well-regarded prospects.

Lindsey, 22, was drafted 37th overall out of Desert Mountain High (Ariz.) by the Angels in 2010. Batting left and throwing right, the second baseman was considered one of the Angels’ top everyday prospects. He was hitting .247 with eight home runs and 30 RBIs in his first season with Triple-A Salt Lake. Last year, Lindsey batted .274 with 17 homers and 56 RBIs with Double-A Arkansas.

Alvarez, 23, has been dominating hitters at that level. The Angels’ third-round selection out of Florida Atlantic University in 2010, the right-hander posted a 0.33 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 27 relief innings with Arkansas this year.

Rondon, a 20-year-old shortstop from Venezuela, was recently an injury replacement in last week’s Futures Game. He hit .327 at high Single-A Inland Empire.

Morris, 22, has split the season between low Single-A Burlington and Inland Empire, going a combined 5-4 with a 3.27 ERA in 16 starts. The right-hander was the Angels’ fourth-round pick in 2013.

“We’ve had long files on all four of those guys dating back to their amateur days,” Hinch said. “The sum of the parts is very good across the board and hit us in some areas that we felt was necessary to give up a talent like Street and a young, promising reliever like Gott.”